Old Friend
by Roselna
Summary: Demeter's stuck in a club, thanks to her younger sister. She's in a relatively bad mood, until she reunites with one of her old kittenhood friends. AU, Fluff. T for slightly suggestive things.


Demeter sat in the corner, trying to ignore the pulsing lights and the deafening roar of the dancers and music. She hated that she'd been roped into coming by her sister. She rubbed her arms, wishing she had worn her own long-sleeved dress instead of Bombie's skimpy red one. True, it made the black and gold fur that was visible (which was far too much, in Demeter's opinion) pop, but the queen just didn't feel comfortable. Demeter turned her hazel eyes towards the dance floor, searching for her younger (and taller) sister. It wasn't hard. The scarlet queen stood out like an angel would in hell, even in the dim lighting of the club.

Demeter sighed as she watched her sister dance with some tom, smiling a smile that the tom was mistaking as suggestive, but the black and gold queen knew as humoring. There was no way the scarlet queen was leaving any time soon. Demeter shook her head and rubbed her arms again, cold, despite the incredible amount of cats that were there. The queen looked down at her throbbing paws, trapped inside a pair of strappy red sandals with four inch heels that were as sharp as they came. Demeter wiggled her toes, trying to give her poor paws a little more room. The only thing she succeeded in doing was making herself more uncomfortable.

Demeter was throughly miserable. Plus, there was now a hot breath on her neck that smelled strongly of nip. "Aren't you a pretty little thing," a voice slurred, tracing a claw up her arm and to her shoulder, where it fiddled with the strap of her dress.

The queen scowled, then slapped the paw away. She got up, stabbed her heel into the offending tom's paw, then stalked off to another corner, another chair, another shadow. At least this one was a little warmer. Demeter tugged on the short hemline of the dress. The skirt unwillingly came down, tightening on her hips and lowering the already-too-exposing neckline. The black and gold queen growled in her throat, then pulled the dress back up and slouched in the chair, legs crossed and arms folded across her chest.

All of this kept pulling the queen's mood lower and lower.

After a couple minutes, there was a rustling next to her. Demeter turned quickly, before the tom that was settling beside her could start trying to hit on her. "Look, I have four inch heels that can pierce the heart of a vampire. Leave. Me. _Alone._"

"Sorry, Deme. I didn't realize you felt that way."

Demeter's haughty mood ebbed away quickly, recognizing the familiar voice. "Munku?" she gasped, trying to get a better look at the tom through the dim, smoky light.

The silver tabby smiled. "How do you do, Miss Demeter?"

"Oh my God! I haven't seen you in forever!" The queen leaned over and hugged the tom. "What have you been doing?"

Munkustrap shrugged. Demeter couldn't quite tell because of the horrible light, but it looked like he was wearing a white button-down and dark jeans. Nothing fancy, but it worked for him. "I've been trying to get Tugger onto his own two feet, mainly. Although it's not going too well. I'm about to just leave him alone," the tom said.

Demeter giggled. "Is he here?"

"Yup. It looks like he and Bomba are reuniting, by the way." Munkustrap nodded his head towards the dance floor, his green eyes sparkling with humor. Demeter turned towards the throng of cats. Bombalurina and the Rum Tum Tugger were easily found, both being extremely tall. The scarlet queen had abandoned her old dance partner, and her little black dress-clad body rubbing against Tugger. The Curious Cat himself seemed to be enjoying it, and Demeter dragged her eyes away with a shiver, barely daring to think where this would lead.

"You cold?" Munkustrap twisted around and pulled a black leather coat off the back of his chair. He draped it on Demeter's shoulders, and she gratefully pulled it around herself.

"Thanks," the queen murmured as she distractedly pulled the dress down, no longer having to worry about how she would cover the low neckline of the dress. "I see you're still a gentletom," she observed.

The silver tabby grinned, his green eyes dancing as the strobe lights flickered on and off. Demeter found herself captivated by them, wondering how it was possible for so much emotion to be shown in two bright green orbs. "Enough about me," Munkustrap said after a while. "What's been up with you?"

It was the black and gold queen's turn to shrug. "Mostly I've been trying to keep a hold on Bombie," she nodded at her younger sister. "I've given her a curfew. Not like she really follows it. But if she doesn't, she gets stuck in our apartment for a day. No going out unless its to work, and either Rumpelteazer or I will walk with her there and back."

"Who's Rumpelteazer?" Munkustrap asked, leaning back in his chair and putting his paws behind his head.

"A queen that lives down the hall from us. She stays with her older brother, Mungojerrie. He's protective of her, and it's really cute. But Teazer's trusty. She hangs around with us when she gets really mad at Jerrie."

"Sounds like you've really got your life in control."

"Control?" Demeter scoffed. "This is anything but control. I have to work at a place with hours that are never consistent. Bomba doesn't come home a good twenty five percent of nights."

Munkustrap interrupted her at this. "It's not as bad as Tugger bringing queens home. I've had to put a no-queens rule in place, unless I personally know the queen and she doesn't plan on spending the night."

Demeter raised an eyebrow. "So I'm not allowed to stay the night?" she asked in a teasing manner.

"Not if you plan on staying in Tugger's room. On the couch, more or less likely yes."

The queen laughed. "I forgot how funny you are," she said, going back to memories of their friendship as kittens.

The silver tabby smiled. Then he glanced down at his watch and cursed. "It's already one," he muttered.

Demeter's hazel eyes widened. "Seriously?" She growled. "I have work tomorrow. Ugh." The queen stood up, wobbling slightly in her heels. She marched onto the dance floor.

Munkustrap raised his eyebrows as he watched the petit queen shove her way through the crowd, looking rather silly in his coat, which was several sizes too big on her. The throng of cats seemed to swallow her for a little bit, until she returned a few minutes later, dragging not just her sister, but his brother by the ear with her.

"I figured you want him back," she stated, letting go of Tugger's ear next to Munkustrap. She also released Bombalurina, who glared at her older sister and rubbed her sore ear with a paw. Demeter turned to her sister and pointed to the door. "Car. You. Now." The red queen whimpered some inaudible complaint, but waved seductively to Tugger, then sauntered out the doors, earning stares from a whole lot of the toms.

The silver tabby looked up at his brother from his place in the chair. "That goes for you, too." Tugger scowled at his older brother, then strolled out of the club, earning stares from almost all the queens.

Demeter sighed, then rubbed at her eyes. "I better get going," she said, grabbing her purse form under the chair she was sitting in. Munkustrap lifted himself up and out of his place, then walked with the black and gold queen to the door. They made it out of the club and were about to head in different directions when Demeter remembered that she was still wearing Munkustrap's jacket. "Oh! Munku! Here, you'll need this..." She started to shrug the coat off, but the silver tabby stopped her.

"That's alright. You can give it back to me Friday night at Tomi's," he said, handing her a slip of paper with a number scrawled on it.

Demeter looked at him in surprise. "Are you asking me out?" she inquired, waving the scrap of paper in the tom's face.

Munkustrap simply batted her paw away, then winked a green eye at her and strolled away to his car. He earned Demeter's stare after him.

* * *

**A/N:**

Oh, I love fluff. Basically, I was bored. And wanted to write. And I can't get the creative juices to flow that I needed to update The Wanted. But I have the next chapter almost done, so...*shrugs* Review, if ya don't mind.

Cats (c) ALW, TSE, RUG


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